Draft gears



y 4, 1960 E. H. BLATTNER 2 ,937,769

DRAFT GEARS Filed Dec. 28, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Emil H. Blczttner his Aflorney In ve n t or:

May 24, 1960 E. H. BLATTNER 2,937,

DRAFT GEARS Filed Dec. 28, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6

Inventor:

Emil H. Blattner FIG. 3

l4 By his Attorngy I May 24, 1960 E. H. BLATTNER 2,937,769

DRAFT GEARS Filed Dec. 28, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet S Inventor:

Emil H. BlcLtmerw :Z I c z 1 his A'rtorne'y May 24, 1960 E. H. BLATTNER DRAFT GEARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 28, 1956 FIG. 9

Inventor: Emil H. Blattner B ww'ZM/WZ FIG. 10

his Attorney DRAFT GEARS Emil H. Blattner, Williamsville,'N.Y., assignor to Symington Wayne Corporation, a corporation of Maryland Filed Dec. 28, 1956, Ser. No. 631,645

12 Claims. (Cl. 213-61) This invention relates to draft rigging. With the demands on draft gears in buff imposed by the relatively high impact speeds now commonplace in classification yards, near the maximum capacity attainable in a draft gear fittable into ,a standard 24%" .draft gear pocket, it has become increasingly apparent that longer draft gears are needed. To accommodate such longer gears, consideration is being given to increasing the length of the standard draft gear pocket to as much as 36 inches, such an increase being about the maximum possible without a relocation of the center fillers and at-' tendant major changes in ,car underframe design. While the necessary greater capacity in buff is buildable into a draft gear of a length the proposed longer pocket would accommodate, the higher capacity can be availed of only by increasing the travel of the gear under bufling forces to over 4". Herein lies the difliculty, since it entails increasing the clearance, not only between coupler horn and striker, but between the head of the coupler and the carrier iron and in the case of universally angling couplers, such as the type F coupler recently adopted by the A.A.R. as an alternate standard, the practice presently considered necessary of fixing the resilient coupler carrier against longitudinal movement relative to the center sills has effectively imposed a limit of about 3 inches on the inward movement of the coupler under bufiing forces.

It therefore is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved draft rigging whereby a universally angling coupler is relieved of the limit presently imposed on its travel in buff by its resilient coupler carrier and enabled to take full advantage of the high capacity afforded by an associated relatively long travel draft gear. Another object of the invention is to provide draft rigging for application to center sills having an elongated draft gear po ket and use with a universally angling coupler wherein the carrier on which the coupler is resiliently supported moves longitudinally with a yoke to which the coupler is universally connected and the yoke in turn moves with the coupler over at least a part of the, travel of the coupler in buff, thereby avoiding interference by the carrier with extended travel of the coupler.

An additional object of the invention is to provide draft rigging wherein a yoke, universally connected to a coupler and containing at least a portion of the draft gear, has as, an integral part a pocket seating a carrier iron and its supporting springs.

A further object of the invention is to provide draft rigging for adapting a universally angling coupler for extended travel, wherein the yoke to which the, coupler is universally connected both serves as a housing for a unit of the draft gearand carries in pockets both a coupler carrier on which the coupler is resiliently supported and another unit of the draft gear. e

Other objects. and advantages of the, invention will ap- P ar her ina tern. the deta ed, description-be particuice larly pointed out inthe appended claims andbe illustrated in .the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side .elevational view .of an embodiment of the draft rigging of the present :invention :with portions broken away and shown in section to more clearly illustrate certain of the details of construction.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the draft rigging of Figure 1 with portions broken away and shown insection to more clearly illustrate certain of the details of con- .struction;

the movable parts removed to more clearly illustrate certain of the details of construction;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the draft rigging of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the third embodiment of the draft rigging of the present invention;

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the draft rigging of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a central vertical sectional view of the structure of Figure 10 with the forepart'of the'coupler shank shown in side elevation; v

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 1212 of Figure 10; and v Figure 13 is a vertical sectionalview taken along the lines 13-13 of Figure 10. 1 p

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the illustrated embodiments of the improved draft rigigng of the present invention all exemplify 'the intended use of the draft'rigging with a universally angling coupler, such as "the A.A.R. alternate standard type F coupler here shown and designated as'l, for adapting the coupler for long travel, at least in buff. In order to angle vertically and yet be maintained normally at coupling height, such a coupler must have its head 2 resiliently supported by a support under-riding its shank 3 and it is the fixed location of the support relative to the center sills 4, in accordance with present practice, that has heretofore disenabled such a coupler from being adapted for long travel in bulf.

The draft rigging of this invention overcomes the above dilficulty by mounting a resilient coupler carrier or sup port 5 for movement longitudinally with a yoke 6 to which the coupler 1 is universally connected and the disclosed embodiments are illustrative of several of the possible variations of this concept. The coupler carrier 5 in each is comprised of a pocket 7 disposed forwardly of and rigid or integral with the yoke 6 and pocketing or receiving for relative vertical movement a carrier iron 8 resiliently supported for relative vertical movement on coil or like supporting springs 9. In each, as well, the draft rigging is mounted between the center sills 4 and there is provided in the latter a draft gear pocket 10, considerably longer than the present standard 24 /3" pocket, for accommodating along travel draft gear. pToo, in keeping with the illustrated form of universally angling coupler 1, the yoke. 6 is a so-called vertical yoke and is pivotally connected to the coupler by a pivot or yoke pin 11, the coupler having a combined spherically .and cylindrically convex butt-12 bearing against a front follower 13 within the yoke. While possessing these features iu Patented May 24, 1960 common, the several embodiments vary in numerous details and will now be described separately.

Referring first to the embodiment of Figures 1-7, the draft gear 14 there shown is of the multi-unit, selective travel type having contained or pocketed within the yokes 6 a front rubber cushioning unit 15, comprised in the usual manner of alternating rubber pads 16 and spacer plates 17, and a rear cushioning unit 18 in the draft gear pocket 10 between rear stop lugs 19 fixed to the center sills 4 and the rear or transverse wall 20 of the yoke. As shown in this embodiment, the rear cushioning unit 18 may be a housed draft gear of the present standard length with the rear end of its housing 21 bearing against 7 the rear stop lugs 19 and a plunger 22 bearing against the rear wall 20 of the yoke, telescoping of the plunger within the housing being yieldably resisted by friction or combined rubber and friction means such, for example as shown in my copending application Serial No. 475,350 now Patent No. 2,856,078, issued Oct. 14, 1958. Arranged in tandem in the draft gear pocket 10, one within and the other rearwardly of the yoke 6, the front and rear cushioning units 15 and 18 are made to act in series under bufiing forces by rearwardly elongating the pin slo'ts or openings 23 in the arms or straps 24 of the yoke in which the ends of the pivot pin 11 are received. With this construction, the coupler 1 under buffing forces initially will move rearwardly relative to the yoke, thereby compressing the front cushioning unit 15 and thence, through the rear wall 20 of the yoke, compress or telescope the rear cushioning unit 18, each of the units thus affording part of the total travel. However, under draft or pulling forces, only the front cushioning unit 15 comes into play, the yoke 6 then being pulled forwardly by the coupler 1 while the front follower 13 is held against forward movement by front stop or draft lugs 25 fixed to the center sills and the front cushioning unit being compressed between the front follower 13 and rear wall 20 of the yoke.

Assuming, as is desired, that each of the front and rear cnshio'ning units 15 and 18 has the present standard 2 /2" travel, the coupler in draft will have standard travel in draft and in buff, double that travel. The additional clearance needed between the horn 26 of the coupler and striker 27 fixed to the end of the center sills is readily provided, even in cars with an overhang as little as five feet. As to the other and heretofore critical clearance, that between the head 2 of the coupler and the resilient coupler carrier 5, provision in accordance with this invention for movement of the carrier with the yoke 6 reduces the necessary clearance to the extent of movement of the coupler relative to the yoke, here the standard 2%" travel. This is accomplished by forming integrally with the yoke a pair of transversely spaced, substantially parallel ribs or flanges 28 depending or downstanding from and extending forwardly or longitudinally along opposite sides 29 of the bottom or lower of the straps 24. The depending ribs 28 project or extend forwardly beyond the front end or nose of the yoke 6 and adjacent their forward extremities merge with the side walls 30 of the pocket 7 of the resilient coupler carrier 5, the pocket here being of the configuration usual in a carrier for the illustrated type F coupler with its side walls 30 connected by longitudinally spaced upstanding transverse walls 31 and the several walls connected at the bottom by a bottom wall 32.

For holding the coupled carrier in assembled relation, as well as limiting the upward movement of the carrier iron 8, it is preferred to employ, instead of the usual side clips, a single retaining clip 33 riveted to a roof portion or web 34, joining the upper edges of the ribs 28 between the front end of the bottom strap 24 and the rear of the transverse walls 31 of the pocket, the clip extending through a slot 35 in the rear wall 31 and into a vertically elongated slot 36 in the confronting portion of the depending skirt 37 of the carrier iron 8. In addition to the resilient coupler carrier 5, the ribs 28 in this embodiment also carry a retainer plate 38 for supporting and holding in assembled position the pivot pin 11, the retainer plate 38 conveniently being held against longitudinal shifting relative to the yoke by the provision of a keyway or seat 39, for its reception in the underface 40 of the bottom strap 24 at either side of its pin slot 23 and being releasably supported at either end on blocks 41 resting on inturned feet or flanges 42 integral with the ribs 28 and each releasably fixed as by rivets 43 to the upstanding or vertical wall 44 of the associated rib.

Once inserted between the center sills 4, the rear cushioning unit 18 and the rear end of the yoke 6, with the front cushioning unit 15 pockete therein, may be supported and held in place by suitable cross ties 45 riveted or otherwise fixed to the bottom flanges 46 of the center sills. If, as is desirable with the illustrated form of rear cushioning unit 18, centering of the latter is needed, a guide plate 47 may be fixed above its housing 21 to the top wall 48 of the center sills. However, in this embodiment, cross ties connected to the bottom flanges 46 of the center sills would not be satisfactory to support the front end of the yoke 6 and the coupler 1 because of the downward extent of the ribs 28. It is therefore contemplated to form integrally with each of the front stop lugs 25 a leg 49 extending forwardly to and downwardly to the level of the underside of the bottom wall 32 of the pocket 7 and having along its bottom edge a substantially horizontal, outstanding foot or flange 50 for connecting thereto, as by bolts 51, one of the ends of a front cross tie or tie plate 52, the latter underlying and supporting the pocket 7. Of sufiicient longitudinal extent to encompass the range of longitudinal movement of the yoke relative to the center sills 4, the front cross tie plate 52, through the pocket 7 of the resilient coupler carrier 5 sliding thereon, effectively supports both the coupler and the front end of the yoke 6.

The embodiment of Figure 8 is similar in many respects to that of Figures l-7, also utilizing legs 49 integral with the front stop lugs 25 and connecting front cross tie 52 for supporting the pocket 7 of the resilient coupler carrier 5 and the carrier being carried in the same manner by the same type of ribs 28 integral with and downstanding from its yoke 6a. The main respect in which these two embodiments differ is in their travel in draft, that of this embodiment being the same in draft as in buff. The modifications which this difference entails are in the yoke, its connection to the coupler and the draft gear. As will be noted, the yoke 6a of this embodiment extends the full length of the draft gear pocket 10 and contains or pockets the draft gear 14a which, while a single unit, is of greater length and capacity than the present standard draft gear. The draft gear here illustrated may conveniently be a double-ended gear, such as shown in my copending application, Serial No. 546,- 033, with plungers 53 at either end, one reacting against a front follower 13a and therethrough against the front stop lugs 25 and the other against a rear follower 54 and therethrough against the rear stop lugs 19a. Since this embodiment does not provide for selective travel, longitudinal movement of its yoke 6a relative to the coupler 1 is neither necessary nor desired and the pin holes 23a in the arms 24a of the yoke consequently are of such configuration as to have a snug fit with the pivot pin 11. Since the draft gear 14a is contained in the yoke 6a, a single rear cross tie 55 sutfices with the front crooss tie 52 to hold the mechanism in the center sills 4. In this embodiment, the travel of the yoke 6a must correspond to that of the coupler 1, thus requiring that a combined center filler and rear stop lug unit 56 of special construction to accommodate the rear wall 20a of the yoke between the rear stop lugs 19a over its full range of movement in buff. While of no consequence with many types of cars, this characteristic disenables this embodiment frem being applied to hopper and like cars having an bverhangron the order of five feet. 7

The third embodiment of Figures 9 l3 is a vselective travel arrangement requiring somewhat more overhang than the first embodiment and compensating for this by affording travel in buff equivalent to the travel obtained with a cushion or so-called Duryea underframe. This extended travel in buff, some 7 /2 inchesin the embodiment as illustrated, is obtained by employing as the draft gear 141) agear having a multiplicity of rubber cushioning units 57, each similar to the rubber cushioning unit 15 of the first embodiment, and a friction unit 58, the several units being arranged in tandem and the friction unit 58 and oneof the rubber cushioning units 57 being contained or pocketed in the yoke 6b.

To conserve space, the friction unit 58 has its housing 59 formed as an intermediate portion of the yoke 6b, the housing 59 being closed at its sides 60, open at both'ends 61 and preferably containing the usual complement of counterpart friction shoes 62 urged laterally into frictional engagement with confronting'friction surfaces 63 on the housing by leaf or other spring means 64. The one'of'the rubber cushioning units 57, which is contained with the friction unit 58 in the yoke 6b, is contained in a pocket ,65 between the rear wall 20b of the yoke and the housing 59, the pocket having an opening "66 atits .top'of 'sulficient area to permit insertion of the rubber cushioning as a unit therethrough. With a plunger 67 in the front end of the housing and a floatingfollower 6$abetween the friction shoes 62 and the rubber cushioning unit contained in the pocket 65, the two units-within the yoke, while arranged in tandem, are capable of acting in parallel under longitudinal forces. Compressed in draft between the rear wall 20b of the yoke and a front follower 13b, the friction unit 58 and associated of the rubber cushioning units 57 are also made compressible in buff by providing the yoke arms or straps 24b with rearwardly elongated pin slots 23b for receiving the ends of the pivot or yoke pin 11 so as to permit the coupler 1 to move rearwardly relative to the yoke 6b in buff. The two rearward of the three illustrated rub-tier cushioning units preferably are spaced by a iioa ting follower block 69 and react through a rear f l o er 1 T a ainst rea ste lu s 9b Xe to the eenter i l 4 when hey are eqmnreeses y ear mo n of the yoke 6b. Thus, with this arrangement, all four of the cushioning units 57 and 58 are compressed or energized in buff while only the front of the rubber units 57 and the friction unit 58 act in draft, then reacting through the front follower 13b against front stop lugs 25b fixed to the center sills 4 With a travel of only 2% inches in draft but some 7 /2 inches in buif, the arrangement of this embodiment must also make provision for movement of the resilient coupler carrier with the yoke 6b. This is accomplished, as in the preceding embodiments, by making the pocket 7 of the coupler carrier 5 integral with the yoke 6b with the differences that the pair of forwardly extending ribs Ztlb downstanding from the lower of the arms 24b of the yoke are relatively narrow and themselves ride on a front cross tie 71 and the lower portions of the sides 72 of the hood 73 of the yoke are extended or projected forwardly and downwardly to merge with the ribs 28b. Positioned inwardly of the front or outer end of the center sills 4, the front cross tie 71 on which the ribs 28b ride or slide and which is fixed, as by riveting, to the bottom flanges 46 of the center sills, may be made to serve, as well, in this embodiment as a retainer plate for holding the pivot pin 11 in place by making the pin longer than the conventional pin employed in the earlier embodiment and lengthening the front cross tie 71 sufficiently to embrace the full travel of the pin. A second or rear cross tie 74, extending across the bottom of the center sills and fixed at its ends to the bottom flanges 46, supports both th ea en -Q he rake. 5 1 end the-rub er cu h n te r5 fl i e edflt Q T..."

Fr m the a e e detai ed i csf t t en. tit b a pare tha t e h s een pr vid den impr ed d ft rig: s n fo se wi h a univers lly ang in eoupl fb twh eh e c pler s adapte for ,e/ npd dftrave nnd'er bufi s forces .with correspending in ease in the capacity avail able in an associateddraftgear to cushion such forces. It should be understood that .the described and disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the inyfimi l and that all modifications areintended to be included which do not depart from veit'lier't e spi it c th i nti n or the scop .of h ppended c aim 1' H ng escribed y inve t on, I claim:

1. In fdraft rigging, the combination with a coupler,

of a yoke ,connected for relative universal angling to said.

coupler, cushi ning mea s n aid y e, and a r s l nt coupler carrier carried by and movable longitudinally with said yoke for resiliently supporting said coupler.

2. In draft rigging, the co'nibination with a coupler, of a yoke connected for relative universal angling to said coupler, cushioning means in said yoke, and ,a resilient coupler. carrier forresiliently supporting said coupler, said carrier including a pocket integral with said yoke and pocketing a carrier iron. v

3. In draft rigging, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke connectedfor relative universal angling to said coupler, cushioning means contained in said yoke between vertically spaced aims thereof, a pluralityof ribs integral with and depending from sides of a lower of said arms and extending forwardly thereof, and a resilient coupler carrier for resiliently supporting said coupler, said car: rier including a pocket connected to said yoke by and integral with forward extremities of said-ribs, and a car; I

rier iron and supporting spring neans pocketed in said pocket. v I ll 4. In draft rigging, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke connectedffor relativeuniversal angling to said coupler, cushioningmeans contained in said yoke between vertically spaced arms thereof, a plurality of ribs integral with and depending from sides of a lower of said arms and extending forwardly thereof, a resilient coupler carrier for resiliently supporting said coupler, said carrier including a pocket connectedjto said yoke by and integral with forward extremities ,of said ribs, a carrier iron and supporting spring means poeketed in said pocket, and a retaining clip attached to a forward extenson of said lower arm and projecting through a rear wall of said pocket and into a slot in a depending portion of said carrier iron for limiting upward movement of said carrier iron under force of said supporting spring means.

5. In draft rigging, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke connected for relative universal angling to said coupler, cushioning means contained in said yoke between vertically spaced arms thereof, a plurality of ribs integral with and depending from sides of a lower of said arms and projecting forwardly thereof, and a resilient coupler carrier for resiliently supporting said coupler, said coupler carrier including a pocket disposed forwardly of and rigid and movable longitudinally with said yoke, and a carrier iron and supporting spring means pocketed in said pocket.

6. In draft rigging, the combination with center sills having a draft gear pocket and a coupler, of a yoke connected for relative universal angling and limited longitudinal movement to said coupler, a plurality of cushioning units arranged in tandem in said pocket, one rearwardly of said yoke and another within said yoke rearwardly of the connection thereof to said coupler, said one unit acting only in buff and said other unit acting in buff and draft, and a resilient coupler carrier for resiliently supporting said coupler, said carrier being disposed forwardly of and connected for longitudinal movement with said yoke.

7. In draft rigging, the combination with center sills having a draft gear pocket and a coupler, of a yoke connected forrelative universal angling to said coupler, cushioning means contained in said yoke, a resilient coupler carrier for resiliently supporting said coupler, said carrier including a pocket integral with said yoke and pocketing a carrier iron, and means underlying and slidably engaged by said pocket and rigid with said center sills for supporting said carrier and therethrough the front end of said yoke.

8. In draft rigging, the combination with center sills having a draft gear pocket and a coupler, of a yoke connected for relative universal angling to said coupler, cushioning means contained in said yoke between vertically spaced arms thereof, a plurality of ribs integral with and dependng from sides of a lower of said arms and projecting forwardly thereof, a resilient coupler carrier for resiliently supporting saidcoupler, said carrier including a pocket connected to said yoke by and integral with forward extremities of said ribs, and a carrier iron and supporting spring means pocketed in said yoke, and means underlying and slidably engaged by said ribs and rigid with said center sills for supporting said coupler and the front end of said yoke.

9. In draft rigging, the combination with center sills having a draft gear pocket and a coupler, of a yoke connected by a pin for relative universal angling and limited longitudinal movement to said coupler, cushioning means contained in said yoke between vertically spaced arms thereof, a plurality of ribs integral with and depending from sides of a lower of said arms and projecting forwardly thereof, a resilient coupler carrier for resiliently supporting said coupler, said carrier including a pocket connected to said yoke by and integral with forward extremities of said ribs, a carrier iron and supporting spring means pocketed in said yoke, and means underlying and slidably engaged by said ribs .and rigid with said center sills for supporting the front end of said coupler.

10. In draft rigging, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke connected for relative universal angling and limited longitudinal movement to said coupler, said yoke having integrally therewith a pocket towards a rear end thereof, an open-ended housing intermediate said pocket and coupler, and a pocket, forward, of the connection between said yoke and coupler, a rubber cushioning unit in said first-named pocket, a friction unit in and having friction shoes engaging sides of said housing, said friction and rubber cushioning units acting in parallel under longitudinal forces, and a carrier iron and supporting spring means in said forward pocket for resiliently supporting said coupler.

11. In draft rigging, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke connectedfor relative universal angling and limited longitudinal movement to said coupler, said yoke having integrally therewith a pocket towards a rear end thereof, an open-ended housing intermediate said pocket and coupler, and a pocket forward of the connection between said yoke and coupler, a rubber cushioning unit seated in and insertible as a unit through an opening in a side of said pocket, a friction unit in and having friction shoes engaging sides of said housing, said friction and rubber cushioning units acting in parallel under longi-. tudinal forces, and a carrier iron and supporting spring means in said forward pocket for resiliently supporting said coupler.

12. In draft rigging, the combination with center sills having a draft gear pocket and a coupler, of a yoke connected for relative universal angling and limited longitudinal movement to said coupler, said yoke having integrally therewith a pocket towards a rear end thereof, an open ended housing intermediate said pocket and coupler, and a pocket forward of the connection thereof to said coupler, a rubber cushioning unit in said rear pocket, a friction unit in and having friction shoes engaging sides of said housing, said friction and rubber cushioning units acting in parallel under lonigtudinal forces, a carrier iron and supporting spring means in said forward pocket for resiliently supporting said coupler, and a plurality of rubber cushioning units in said draft gear pocket rearwardly of said yoke and cooperating with said friction and firstnamed rubber. cushioning unit for cushioning bulfin'g forces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,208,338 Munro et a1 July 16, 1940 2,431,864 Dean Dec. 2, 1947 2,444,120 Travilla, Jr. et a1 June 29, 1948 2,754,979 McMullen July 17, 1956 2,776,057 Blattner Jan. 1, 1957 

